


Happily Ever After

by G123u



Series: A Fairy Tale for Two [3]
Category: Elsword (Video Game)
Genre: ...I think. Does this count as angst?, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/M, Gen, Light Angst, Minor Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-24
Updated: 2018-09-24
Packaged: 2019-07-17 06:19:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16089815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/G123u/pseuds/G123u
Summary: Alone in the tower, his only solace was the bits of hope she carried with her.





	Happily Ever After

**Author's Note:**

> Requested by: Ordinary Guest (FF.net)  
> I'm five years late, but better late than never right? (laughs)
> 
> Trigger warnings for the following subject(s):  
> \- Mentions/Implications of death

_“Once upon a time, there was a woman pregnant with her baby. She made sure to take good care of herself, so that her baby would also be in good health. One day, as the pregnant woman was walking through the woods, she picked up a sweet, sweet smell. Lured by the scent, the woman walked deeper, and deeper, and deeper through the woods, until she no longer knew where she was._

_Worried for her child, the woman began searching for food. Luckily, she found a tree of bright, shiny apples. They were so red and so ripe that the woman couldn’t help but pick them. Relieved that her unborn baby would be safe, the woman began eating, and eating, and eating._

_However, the apple tree belonged to a vile witch who lived in the forest. She had grown the tree with much care, and silently watched as the pregnant woman ate her fruit, one after the other. As the woman was about to eat a fifth apple, the witch came up to her._

_‘How dare you eat from my apple tree!’ she cried._

_The woman dropped the fruits and began apologizing profusely._

_‘I’m so sorry!’ she said. ‘Please forgive me!’_

_‘I require compensation equal to the apples you have stolen from me.’ the witch said, but the woman continued to apologize._

_‘I’m sorry, I don’t have anything of value to offer…’_

_The witch looked at the woman from head to toe. Finally, she pointed to the woman’s stomach._

_‘When that child is born, you will give them to me.’”_

 

“Wait, she asked for the child?! Do all witches kidnap children like that?”

“Of course not, Elsword! Don’t be silly. This witch just happened to be a really mean and selfish witch.”

“Oh. Then, what happened to the baby afterwards?”

“Hmm… I’ll tell you later.” As she said this, Aisha closed the book and got up from her seat. “It’s almost noon, I have to get back to my training.”

“Wha--You’re always training though!” Elsword whined. His body went limp and slouched dramatically, as if to further emphasize his words.

“I can’t help it! Apprentices like me have to train very hard in order to become full fledged witches! I’ll visit you again in the evening, so don’t complain so much.”

“Fiiiiiiinneee.” With an obviously fake frown, Elsword watched as Aisha scurried around the room, picking up all her belongings - her numerous books of spells and fairy tales, her worn out shoulder bag filled with all sorts of strange potions and ingredients, and of course, the beautifully designed silver comb that Mother had given her. It had a small gem in the center (he wasn’t sure what kind, just that it was purple) and appeared very delicate. Aisha rarely used it though, out of worry that she might damage it. Elsword thought that was a bit of a waste.

His half-lidded eyes followed the girl around as she continued packing. Finished, Aisha slung on her bag, walked over to the trapdoor, and chanted a mixture of sounds. Mother had enchanted the trapdoor so that it would only open in response to a specific incantation. It was meant to protect Elsword, Mother had said, from all the scary things the outside world had to offer. He watched with dazed eyes as Aisha continued the seemingly endless incantation. For someone like him who didn’t know any magic, the stream of words flowed by like the mumbles of a donkey teaching math - in other words, it was completely incomprehensible. As the last words left the witch-in-training’s lips, the trapdoor began to lift, revealing a sturdy ladder in a small and dark tunnel.

“Good bye Elsword, see you later!”

“Yeah, see you later! Don’t forget about tomorrow!” And with that, Aisha began to climb down the ladder, the trapdoor closing firmly behind her.

Tomorrow was her good friend’s birthday, you see, and Aisha wanted to make the day extra special. As the Master’s only child, he had never been allowed to witness the outside world. Aisha understood her Master’s worries, but she still felt that it was unreasonable to lock him up for so many years.

He’s old enough to tell what’s right from wrong, and I’m sure he can protect himself if necessary. Besides, he’s turning seventeen! Seventeen years inside a small tower with a single window? I wouldn’t be able to bear living like that for even a day!

Grumbling about the small confines, Aisha continued to quickly climb down the spiral stairs, holding one hand by the wall in case she tripped. She respected her master, and she respected Elsword’s choices, but she couldn’t understand him. Wasn’t he curious about what was outside his tower? Didn’t he ever long to sneak out and explore the vast forest surrounding him? She didn’t understand; she couldn’t. At last, on the ground floor, Aisha swung open the rickety door, shivering as a cold wind flew in.

“Cold!” she exclaimed, hugging herself for warmth. Elsword is so lucky! His birthday is in the middle of December. Just look at all this snow! How could you not want to play with it? Especially on your birthday! He’s so weird.

The temptation to drop everything and jump into the huge piles of snow was so great… But Aisha resisted! She needed to meet up with her master for training soon! Master wouldn’t be happy if she were late. ...But she had always been on time. Being a few minutes late juuuust this once wouldn’t hurt, right?

She caved. Aisha dropped her leather bag inside the tower and pushed the door shut - it would be bad if the snow got in and ruined all her books, after all. She knelt down and began to pack a snowball. “So cold…! I really should have worn some thicker gloves.”

The snow was perfect for making snowmen - it wasn’t powdery, but it wasn’t so stiff as to form clumps on its own. She hoped it would be like this tomorrow as well. I’m sure he’ll have so much fun building all sorts of things out of snow! I can totally see him making a snow fort. She laughed at the thought of Elsword hiding behind a wall of snow. Would they have a snowball fight? Or perhaps she would help him build an entire snow castle? She couldn’t wait.

“And there!” With a triumphant look, Aisha stood up and brushed the leftover snow off her gloved hands. She looked proudly at her creation - three miniature snowmen to greet and guard the tower. Not wanting to dig around for pebbles, Aisha used her fingers to create indented facial features. The shortest one had a cute smile and pointy twintails. The tallest bore a classic witch hat. And of course, in the middle of these two was a snowman with a goofy smile and… attempted spiky hair. Aisha tried her best.

“Oh! My bag! Can’t forget that. ...And off we go again! Bye bye, I’ll be counting on you guys to protect the snow for tomorrow!” And with a wink to the inanimate figures, Aisha left.

* * *

Her footsteps echoed loudly as she ran up the tower, boots assaulting the stone-made stairs. Her pigtails bounced with each step as she climbed higher, and higher, and higher. Her breath was ragged and puffs of white air formed with each pant. At the top of the spiral stairwell, she practically jumped onto the ladder and climbed furiously, slamming the trapdoor open with glee.

“Haaaaaappy birthday!”

“Woah! You scared me!”

Elsword bent over to pick up the book he dropped, keenly aware of the “tee-hee!” laugh beside him. Although he was startled, he held nothing against the energetic magician. That being said…

He crossed his arms. “Geez, you need to be more careful! What if I was holding something dangerous?”

“Aw, come on, I know you’re just pretending to be upset. More importantly! ...Ta-dah!”

With a single, swift motion, she wiped the numerous books off of the wooden coffee table. A chant and a finger snap later, a mysterious white box had appeared in place of the books.

“Ta-dah!” she repeated, hands proudly on hips.

Elsword glanced at the poor books scattered on the floor. He would need to clean them up later… With a defeated sigh, he turned to the white box.

As if reading the “what is that?” look on his face, Aisha lift up the box to reveal--

“--A cake?”

“Yeah, a birthday cake!”

“It looks so well made. And it was teleported--” His eyes widened. “Wait, don’t tell me you stole this?!”

Aisha responded with an equally surprised face. “What?! Are you an idiot???”

“No but like--where did you get this??”

“I made it! It’s too troublesome to carry it all the way here so I left it at home and teleported it here. Duh????”

“...You made it?”

“Yeah.”

“...By yourself?”

“Yeah.”

“...Is it edible?”

Twack! A book flew at his face the instant the words left his mouth. In his heart, he thanked that it was not hardcover.

“Is that the way you should be thanking the amazing Aisha? I spent hours trying to get the dough to rise correctly, you know.”

Elsword merely laughed in response to her pouting. “I hope it tastes good. Can you help me set up the table?”

“Yeah, of course! Prepare to taste the most deeeeelicious cake you’ve ever had!”

“Haha, I’ll make sure to hold you to your word!”

Within moments, the table was set and the cake was sliced: two lovely triangles each set on white chinaware. Although he could’ve poked fun at Aisha for using magic to cut the cake, alas, the window of opportunity had passed. And plus, she looked so happy at the cake she made. Who was he to ruin her good mood?

“Woah, what the heck! This is really good!”

Elsword shoved another forkful into his mouth. Although the cake looked plain and simple, the insides were practically bursting with flavor. He could taste a lemony scent, but it wasn’t overpowering, and instead, its sourness helped to balance out the sugar-filled pastry. Calling it delicious would be the understatement of the year.

“It’s good, isn’t it?”

Just by looking at the smug, toothy grin on her face, anyone could tell that this was a rhetorical question. Elsword surrendered and gave a simple nod. His focus was on the cake - man, was it good!

“Oh! And before I forget, there’s something I want to show you when you’re done!”

“Shere’sh shmore?”

“Ewwwww, don’t talk with your mouth full! That’s gross!”

He shrugged.

The cake continued to diminish at an alarming rate. With the way he was wolfing down each slice, Aisha worried that he may not have eaten lunch..

...Nah, that can’t be. Master’s incredibly punctual, there’s no way she’d forget to feed her own son.

The thought was quickly brushed aside, and as Aisha focused back to reality, she noticed that the cake she spent hours making had been completely devoured in mere minutes.

“Alright, I’m done! That was really tasty!”

Paying no attention to Aisha’s dumbfounded expression, Elsword beamed brightly, “So what’s next?”

“Uh… Right. Come with me, let’s head outside!”

Elsword froze. The cheerful mood instantly disappeared, and even Aisha couldn’t help but worry that she said something wrong. She looked carefully at the boy - lips straight, eyes hesitant; he was avoiding her gaze. Why? She knew that Elsword was forbidden from leaving the tower, out of concern for his own safety, but just once wouldn’t harm him right? She would be there to protect him, and they wouldn’t go very far. There was something that she wanted to show him after all, before it was too late…

“I…”

He paused to think. Surely it couldn’t have been more than a few seconds, but the moment of silence felt like long, long years to Aisha. She didn’t realize she had been holding her breath until she heard him speak again, and audibly sighed.

“I think… that should be fine. Just for a couple of minutes though, okay?”

“Yeah, a few minutes is more than enough time!”

Aisha practically lunged at the boy, grabbing his hands and pulling him towards the trapdoor exit. She quickly chanted the spell and ushered him down the ladder. It was as if the tension never even existed, and Elsword could feel her cheerfulness spreading to him like a contagious virus.

“Alright, let’s go!” he shouted. “Race you to the bottom?”

“You’re on!” was her reply, and the two sprinted down the cold, stone stairs. Legs pounded against the ground and heavy breaths hitched as they pushed and shoved each other through the narrow path, neck and neck as they childishly wrestled their way to the wooden door. Their end in sight, both children extended their hands to shove the door open. The bright sunlight blinded them momentarily, but their momentum did not stop, and the two collapsed onto the snow-covered ground.

“Oof!”  
“Ack!”

Elsword got up first, feet unsteady as he prepared to declare himself the winner of the race. He stopped, mouth agape.

“...Woah…”

Beside him, Aisha had also gotten up and was brushing the excess snow off her clothes. “Cool isn’t it?” She asked. “I woke up super early to make this! ...Though I did cheat a little, tee-hee.”

She moved her hands to her hips and posed proudly, gazing at the scenic landscape before the two. Strewn across the yard were numerous ice sculptures - of slides, of igloos, of tables and horses and thrones and rabbits and clockworks and caves and tunnels and so much more. The sun was out, but it was not particularly warm; all it did was cause the ice to shine and sparkle like diamonds.

Thank goodness the weather isn’t too warm. I was so worried they would melt before I could show him…

“Woah…” Elsword repeated. “Woah, woah, woah! This is incredible!”

He dashed off towards the brilliantly shining sculptures, kicking powdery snow off the ground as he pranced and laughed. “This is so amazing! Oh man, this is awesome, haha!”

The grin on the young magician’s face grew until it was practically stretching from ear to ear. Not wanting Elsword to have all the fun, she ran after him in a makeshift game of tag. Within moments, tag had turned into hide-and-go-seek, and even that eventually turned into a ferocious snowball fight. They flit about like hummingbirds, hiding behind walls of ice and furiously molding snow into cold projectiles.

By the time the two had collapsed (after calling forth a “temporary truce”), the sun had already begun to set. Bathed in the orange-purple glow, the sculptures looked like faraway paintings, though the numerous splatters of former snowballs ruined that beautiful imagery. Soon, the sun had completely disappeared. The two continued to lay on the ground, gazing up at nothing in particular.

“Well?” Aisha asked. “Was that the best birthday you ever had or what?”

“It was pretty good, I’d give it like an eight out of ten.”

His “joke” was rewarded with a snowball to the face.

“That was really fun though, honest.” He continued. “I never had a birthday like that after… Well, it was a really nice change after all those years of eating cake alone in the tower. ...Thank you Aisha. Really.” He sat up and turned to give a gentle smile. Somehow, it made Aisha feel incredibly self-conscious. She quickly stood up and brushed the snow away, pretending to be occupied.

“W-What are you doing, acting all serious like that? Well, as long as you had fun then it’s all good! Next year we’ll have an even--”

“--Mother.”

“--Huh?”

She looked ahead and saw her master’s figure in the distance. For a moment, she forgot Elsword was not allowed outside.

“Oh hey, look! It’s Master! Come on Elsword, let’s go greet her!”

She extended her hand, waiting for Elsword to grab on so she could help him up, but he didn’t move: he just kept staring at his mother in the near distance, his smile matching the hollow feeling in his eyes. She huffed, impatient. She grabbed Elsword’s arm and tugged, only to fall on her butt with an “oof!”

“Huh? Elswo--” He was glowing.

He was glowing.

Elsword, a human with no magical abilities, was glowing.

His entire body was surrounded with a faint blue light, and one could see numerous little particles floating out from him. The definitively not-magical boy turned to his friend, giving her the same empty smile he gave his mother.

At the same time, her coat pocket began to shine with the same blue light.

“That’s…”

“I’ll be borrowing this.”

She took her time processing those words, unmoving like a deer caught in a spotlight. She saw Elsword lean over, reach into her pocket, and pull out her comb - the gift she received from her master. She was confused. What’s going on? What’s happening to Elsword? Is this a spell? But there’s no magical energy around him. I don’t understand, what’s happening? Her mind swirled and her eyes widened with each possibility her mind came up with. But all she could think of was--

“--I’m sorry.”

Long fingers gently brushed aside violet hair. Cold lips placed a soft kiss on a warm forehead. An unusually quiet voice mumbled again,

“...I’m really sorry. But it was a lot of fun, honest.”

Aisha couldn’t react - couldn’t speak, couldn’t move. She couldn’t chide him for kissing her so suddenly. She couldn’t scold him for apologizing without explaining himself. She couldn’t move her arm to take back her precious comb. She couldn’t reach out to Elsword as his light faded away. She couldn’t scream as his body broke off into small specks of light. She couldn’t cry out as his light - his body, scattered and dispersed. She couldn’t look away as he smiled - so cheerfully, so kindly. She couldn’t speak as the light disappeared and the comb fell to the ground.

“A..ah……. Ahhhh……..”

She cried. She didn’t understand why, but she cried and cried and cried, weeping endlessly like a newborn child. She didn’t know what was happening. She didn’t know what she was feeling. But she cried nonetheless.

A pair of warm, supportive arms wrapped themselves around her body and squeezed tight. A large, protective chest pulled her close and comforted her. It wasn’t the arms she just held. It wasn’t the chest she just saw.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry Aisha… I’m sorry…”

Like mother like son, she kept apologizing over and over and over, her words muffled and unstable, easily drowned out by the young child’s cries.

* * *

With its magic gone, all that remained was an old tower. The wooden door she loved to beat up had rotted away with age. With no protection from the wind or rain, the stone steps had eroded until climbing was no longer possible. Vines didn’t even grow in this desolate forest clearing, and Aisha was certain that what remained of the cozy room above was little more than a fond memory.

Elsword had died long before Aisha was even born, his spirit sealed in an unaging body. From what, Aisha was not told, but she knew better than to ask a mother who just lost her son for the second time.

The resurrection was incomplete - it was more like a curse; Elsword would remain bound to the mortal realm unless two very specific conditions were met:

The first: a gem soaked in the deceased’s blood is required to carry out the ritual. This gem, along with the deceased’s body, must remain outside, unobstructed by any man-made buildings, for the entire duration of a sunset, and cannot be more than five meters apart.

The second: a living individual of the same race as the deceased must be in possession of the ritual gem for at least two hundred days before it may be suitable for the ritual. After the resurrection, the gem must be in the possession of another, different individual for two hundred more days or else the resurrection would fail prematurely. From there, it would serve as nothing but one of the materials needed to dispel the resurrection.

The comb was a gift from her dear mentor, but it held an ulterior motive. Surely, her mentor assumed the comb would be left at home, in the village, far, far away from Elsword’s tower.

“I regret not telling you sooner,” her mentor had said. “Forgive me Aisha. I have given you a much too heavy burden, and left you with equally heavy grief.”

Did she accept her mentor’s apology? Aisha did not know. She continued to study under her master, their relationship clearly strained, but bound by an unbreakable thread.

“I received my professional license,” Aisha whispered.

There was no one there, nothing there. The snowmen had melted ages ago, and her master was too agonized to build a grave. There was nothing. She continued,

“It’s been… how many years since I last visited? Well, I mean, I’ve been busy you know. Being a professional witch is difficult! I don’t know how Master managed.”

“...Um. She’s doing well though, your mother. She retired the other day and moved closer to the village. I visit her every few months, apparently she helps around so the townspeople are really grateful to her. Um, what else… ...Oh. I should… return this to you.”

She reached into her bag and pulled out a lovely, ornate comb. It’s incredibly familiar. Next she used the tip of her boots to dig a crude hole in front of the tower entrance. The comb is gently lowered, and then buried.

“...There,” she smiled, satisfied. Then she reached into her bag again. “Next up, where were we… Oh, we’re almost done! There’s only a few more pages left.”

The book was an older edition. While newer ones had been printed, Aisha felt obligated to stick with this one. She cleared her throat, and began to read:

_“Blind, the prince wandered through the forest, eating nothing but grass, drinking nothing but rainwater, and doing nothing but weeping over the loss of his beloved…”_

_…_

_“...where the two were received with much joy. A festive wedding was held the very next day, and Rapunzel, now queen of the kingdom… l-lived…_ hick _… with her husband h-happily…_ sniff, _happily ever after.”_

Aisha quickly wiped her running nose and then closed the book.

“The end. Did you--sniff--did you enjoy that story, Elsword?”


End file.
